Frostbitten
by Ana-DaughterofHades
Summary: She saves a mysterious stranger from falling into a ravine. Where did he come from? Who is he? AU. For Zutara Week 2015. **This is now being rewritten as a new story titled Blue Eyes and a Lullaby**
1. Happenstance

**Day 1 Happenstance: n. coincidence**

* * *

His feet drag through the snow as the flakes fall lightly onto his face. He tightens the wrap around his shoulders, shuddering from the cold.

Broadswords are strapped to his back, though they are about as useless as swimwear would be in wintertime.

His eyelids struggle to stay open as the wind starts to berate his face and sting his skin. Zuko can sense the frostbite creeping up his toes and fingers.

As Zuko continues to trudge through the tundra of the South Pole, he comes across penguins. His golden eyes stare as they pass. He wonders how good their meat is raw; his firebending isn't as strong as it should be in this weather.

Maybe the lack of sun is affecting him; maybe he is coming down with midsummer madness.

Zuko's feet lose traction on an ice slick, and he lands hard on his back. The snow bites through his clothes, but the numbness is welcomed as it calms the burning pain fire whips have left behind.

It hurts to stare at the sky though there is no sun. White flakes stick to his eyelashes as he tries to close his eyes but then forces them open with a sudden spark of determination.

From within, Zuko tries to call up his breath of fire, but all that comes out is a puff of smoke. His body still tingles from the cold, and his lips, almost to a shade of purple, turn down in a frown.

Chanting encouragements in his mind, Zuko forces himself to a wobbly stand. He yells at his feet to move; his voice echoes into the tundra, leaving him wondering if he does have a case of summer madness.

But his feet obey as he is left to keep plodding on.

Would Uncle have a proverb for this?

Zuko shakes his head, proverbs won't find him shelter.

A song might, though.

The thought forces him to stop, a song? Then his mind catches up to what his ears have been hearing all along.

The voice is of a spirit he thinks. The melody filters though his whole body, warming him up when his fire couldn't.

He starts running trying to find the source of this noise, of this beauty.

His feet fling snow behind him as he runs; the numbness starts to fade away from his mind.

He can hear lyrics now, not just the beautiful melody. Her voice coats him in a feeling of bliss that he doesn't realize he has closed his eyes.

Zuko realizes the darkness too late. When he opens his eyes, he is already stumbling into a ravine he can not see the bottom of.

The song cuts off the moment his feet leave the ground.

Is she a Siren spirit, her song leading him to death? It is the thought Zuko has as he starts to flail his arms aimlessly.

His back and head hits against the icy side of the ravine; his swords clink against his back digging into new wounds.

Zuko's first instinct is to look down. Chunks of ice from his impact with the wall fall from their original place and into the darkness below him. Zuko can't hear them hit the ground.

Gulping, Zuko looks up to see what had stopped his fall.

Who had stopped his fall, he mentally corrects.

With her snow covered gloves on, she has been practicing the art of waterbending. She has stopped the snow around her that she hasn't realized a miniature blizzard has sweeped in.

Letting the snow fall silently back to the ground, she freezes the water she had been bending with back into the ground. She decides it is a good time to head back to the comfort of her tribe.

Throughout her bending practice, she has been singing a song which had been her mother's lullaby.

She reaches the part in the song when she has to raise her voice to sing of the moon finding out she was in love with the sun.

Her mouth snaps closed when she sees a hunched stranger realize too late that he or she is headed into a ravine.

With a movement of her arms, she clears the snow away from her path, creating it easier for her feet to pound faster against the ground.

Her right hand stretches out in time to snatch his or her bare fingers before they disappear into the ravine.

His, she has finally decided the stranger is male, weight drags her dangerously close to the edge. She digs her feet into the snow, waterbending ice to incase them.

Her arms strain as she tries to keep the stranger steady.

If only he would help, she thinks.

When he lifts his head up, he is pleasantly surprised to see a pair of hands clutching onto his own. Zuko is too far below to see his savior's face.

He swings his body so his front is flush with the wall; his feet find crevices to hold onto as he starts to climb under the trembling grasp of his savior.

He eats snow when his body is parallel to the lovely snowy ground he has come to miss in the minutes of hanging in dead air. Zuko hears the panting of another human being, causing him to swallow the snow and flip over with a groan.

The sky is to painful to look at; he keeps his eyes shut.

"You better not have died. Not after I saved you."

His savior is female. Maybe she's pretty, Zuko thinks with a sly smile. Maybe you should stop thinking like a male and start thinking of survival, the sane part of him scolds back.

The only movement he has made so far was flipping himself onto his back and admitting a groan.

Now he is silent, and his eyes are closed. His breaths are shallow, and he doesn't have enough clothes on to survive the South Pole.

She thinks he must be crazy, but he looks in pain or, at least, in need of help.

She bends the falling snow away from him not wanting him to go into a cold sickness that was common in her tribe.

Like a curious child, she studies the foreign object in front of her.

His lips are a curious shade of purple. One of his cheeks is a rosy red; the other... the other...

She gasps; her lips part, letting her taste her the cold air on her tongue. She forcefully pulls off one of her gloves, not caring of the dangers of frostbite.

Her carmel fingers hover over a scar that mars half of his appearance. She leans her ear down to his chest, only satisfied when she hears a faint, but steady, heart beat.

He must be unconscious, which wasn't good, but at least he wouldn't be in pain.

Her blue eyes flicker back up to his face. His hair is a shaggy black mess that is littered with snow flakes. She flicks some long locks away from his face.

His scar goes into his hairline and wraps around his ear. This stranger must have been victim of a Fire Nation attack. How else could he have gotten a burn resulting in a scar when it had finished healing. She stares at his face, he couldn't have been older than nineteen, maybe twenty. He was no older than her brother.

"Who are you?" she whispers to the wind, to herself.

"Who are _you_?" The voice of the young man startles her.

His voice is deep and raspy, like he hasn't had water in weeks. Then again, maybe he hasn't.

"My name is Katara, lost one," she tells him kindly, brushing his hair away from his face.

He has yet to open his eyes.

"My tribe will help you. But we are still a few lengths away. Can you stand?"

"I-I think so. But it hurts to open my eyes."

"I'll help you stand."

She wraps an arm under his torso and helps him onto his feet. He leans heavily on her, and she notices his breathing is erratic. She has to get him to her tribe soon.

"I-I d-don't think I-I can-n wa-alk," he tries to whisper as his teeth chatter when a sudden gust of wind comes through.

She bites her lips. "We won't have to."

With a wave of her hand, they are both standing on a flat, ice harden board. Katara pushes off with her left foot, sending them sliding them away from the ravine and to her tribe.

His head lollies on her shoulder. He doesn't know what she is doing, or how she is doing it. The only thing Zuko is conscious of is the feeling of wind nipping at his skin.

As if by happenstance, he believes this girl is here to save him from more than just a fall of the physical kind.


	2. Vigil

**Day 2 Vigil: n. a period of keeping awake during the time usually spent asleep**

* * *

The women of her tribe rush out to meet them. The light from the torches cast shadows against the ground and falling snow. By the time Katara gets both her and the stranger back, it is past sunset. The stars and moon are out now, though Katara can not see either.

"The healer's hut. Help me bring him to the healer's hut," is Katara's frantic yell.

Her brother comes out of their home tent and supports the other side of the stranger. The man is purely dead weight now. His feet make two tracks in the freshly fallen snow as his feet drag behind them.

Her grandmother opens up the flap to the healing hut as Katara and her brother reach it. Katara's mouth is set into a thin line of determination. She will not let this man die.

"I have a bowl of water set up and fresh bandages if needed," says her Gran Gran.

Katara nods as her brother gently lays the man down on a pile of furs next to the roaring fire. The hut is already basking in heat, giving Katara a sense of comfort from the snowy wasteland she had just come from.

"He needs food, water, and new clothes."

"I'll see what I can scrounge up."

As her grandmother leaves the tent, Katara kneels down next to the stranger. Her brother, Sokka, stands over her; she can see his hand itching for his boomerang. Katara shakes her head no; she is in no danger here. Instead, Sokka hands her the bowl of water and leaves, knowing he will only get in her way if he stays.

Katara throws her gloves to the other side of the hut. She unstraps the man's swords from his back, wondering why he has them in the first place.

She pulls off his boots next, breathing out a sigh of relief when Katara sees that his toes aren't ruined by frostbite but are only a mild shade of the wrong color. She massages his feet trying to get the circulation flowing back into them.

His fingers are in worse shape; she noticed this out in the blizzard. Katara doesn't think he will lose any, but she starts healing them right away. It was foolish of him to come to the South without gloves.

Katara bends a glob of water out of the bowl and covers his hands with it. The water glows a bright blue, and his fingers return to a peach red and lose their purplish blue color.

Her Gran Gran comes back into the hut carrying all the necessary supplies.

Katara rips open his already fraying shirt to make sure he has no broken ribs or other surface injuries.

Though she has healed countless men in her tribe, she can't help but blush at the sight of him. He really is a beautiful stranger.

"Can you help me flip him over?" Katara asks before her grandmother leaves.

Together, as gingerly as they can, they flip the man onto his stomach. Katara tears away the rest of his shirt to reveal angry red lashes criss crossing across his back marring every bit of visible flesh.

By tearing away his shirt without an ounce of hesitation, Katara has ripped some of the clots away, reopening many of the lashes.

Her grandmother quickly gives her the bandages Katara uses to stop the bleeding. Katara puts as much of her weight as can on the lashes; her grandmother helps with the few Katara has missed. The white cloth is quickly stained red.

When the bleeding stops and his back is a mess of angry wounds and dried blood, Katara coats his whole back in water. She is certain some are now infected, or have been infected since he received them.

She heals one lash at a time, taking extra care with all of them.

"Honey, where did you find this man?"

Katara bites her lips before responding. "In the tundra where I was practicing the you know what. He was about to fall into a ravine."

His back is now a raw pink, whether from the healing sessions or the cold, she doesn't know.

"We must find out if he is a danger to this tribe. People may be looking for him."

"I know Gran Gran, but lets save the interrogation for later."

He told me his eyesight hurts, Katara thinks.

She weaves her fingers through his hair running them along his scalp. She pulls away with blood on the tips of her fingers. With the last bit of her healing water, she heals the back of his head, hoping the hit to his head won't cause blindness as she has seen in many cases before.

"We can flip him over again," she tells her Gran Gran.

The hut is warm enough with the fire to leave him shirtless, but she does dress him in thicker pants, socks, and boots. Katara turns her head slightly while she changes his pants; her grandmother doesn't comment when Katara starts to sputter and blush. She discards his worn clothes near the door, and sticks her head out, hoping the cool air will settle the blush in her cheeks.

When her thoughts are done racing, Katara comes back to sit by the man, avoiding her grandmother's eyes. It is the best she can do right now; she has to wait until he wakes up for a more thorough diagnosis.

Out of the corner of her eyes she sees her grandmother leave. Katara knows she should do the same, but, even if she did, Katara would not be able to take her mind off this beautiful stranger, much less sleep under a pile of furs.

Her blue eyes glance up at his scar again. Her fingers trace the grooves, and outline his crumpled ear.

"Katara?" he mumbles.

A small smile graces her lips. "You're awake. Would you like something to eat?"

"Yes," he croaks, "please."

Katara reaches back to grab the bowl of broth. It is not as hot as it could have been but it would do for now.

She brings the bowl to his lips, tilting it back slowly. The stranger slurps it down eagerly until the bowl is emptied.

"When was the last time you ate?" she asks while whipping broth off of his chin.

"I don't quite remember."

She frowns when she notices his eyes are kept closed. "Does it still hurt?"

"My eyes or my back?"

"Both. But more importantly your eyes."

"Not in the slightest." He starts to sit up, only to have her place her hand on his chest and press him back down.

"You should rest," Katara says; she is still worried that he hasn't opened his eyes, but she figures he will feel better in the morning.

Katara can sense the moon's position in the night sky; it is well past midnight. Katara stands to leave the hut when a hand latches onto her wrist.

"Was there a Siren out in the snow with you?"

"A Siren?" A worried frown mars her face again. He hit his head harder than she previously thought.

"Yes, she had the most beautiful voice."

Had he heard her singing over the icy wind? "There are no Sirens out here. Rest, I will stay with you."

He curls on his side, leaving Katara to ponder her thoughts.

Throughout the night she watches him. She nods off once or twice while leaning against the ice wall of the hut.

When dawn breaks and the first glimpse of sun since the start of the southern winter streams through the door, the stranger stirs. He rolls onto his back and starts to stand.

Katara watches him through half lidded eyes; she is too tired to try and stop him. He stumbles to the door; his arms stretch out in front of him as he absorbs the sun rays and stands up straighter. The wobble that Katara had seen in his step vanishes.

With a yawn she pushes herself off of the floor and makes her way over to this man.

His head turns slightly, enough for her to finally see his eyes.

The reward for her vigil is a golden stare, the eyes of the Fire Nation.


	3. Clandestine

**Day 3 Clandestine: adj. kept secret or done secretively**

* * *

She recoils as if the stranger had struck her with the back of his hand. Katara's fingers lightly touch her parted mouth as she shakes her head hoping that what she is seeing is not possible.

The rays of sunlight outline the man's body, causing his skin to glow and his eyes to reflect miniature suns.

Zuko is alert now; the sun feeds him energy that he has not seen since his feet touched the snow. He turns fully back to the woman who has been healing him.

Katara, he thinks, please understand.

Zuko is not surprised by her reaction, but there is a pain in his chest when she takes a conscious step back from him. She is afraid of him now, and in reality, he is afraid of himself as well. Zuko was surprised when he woke that the searing pain of his lashes was gone, in fact he has never felt better, physically.

He lets out a startled yelp when her hand darts forward and pulls him out of the doorway, out of the sight of her people who have not awoken.

"You're Fire Nation aren't you," she says, eyeing him carefully.

He hangs his head as if he is ashamed of the answer he is about to give. "Yes."

His shaggy hair falls in front of his face, obscuring her expression from his view.

"We hate your kind around these parts."

"I wouldn't expect anything different."

Katara bites her lips as she glances at the door way. It will only be a matter of time before her grandmother, or worse, Sokka, came in to check on her.

"Listen closely. You're Fire Nation which means many people here will want to throw you back into the tundra you came from, but you are my patient which means I won't let them hurt you."

He looks up at her, shocked. "Do you re-"

"Don't get all sentimental. I hate your people, but I never turn my back on people who need me. For now on, until I can find another solution, keep your eyes closed. Pretend they still hurt. Understand?"

The man's face is expressionless, but he complies, and his golden eyes are hidden behind his lids.

"The fact that this stays clandestine is vital. When they come to ask where you are from, lie, change your name, do whatever you have to keep your nationality a secret."

"I understand. Should I lie to you too?" He angles his head as if trying to find where Katara is.

"I would not advise it, but you must when others are around."

The man coughs, holding up a hand to cover his mouth. After he clears his throat he asks, "Do you have anything to drink?"

She picks up a cup that had been forgotten the night before. Katara reaches for his hand, and places the wooden cup directly onto it so he doesn't have to fumble for it.

"Thank you," he says after he takes a sip.

Luckily her grandmother usually gets up an hour or so past dawn, and her brother even later; she still has time to pry all of this man's secrets out of him.

"What is your name?" She sits in front of him, all feelings of fright have left her.

"My name is Zuko."

"What is the name you will tell the others?"

"Lee."

"Are people looking for you, Lee?"

"Yes."

At his answer, Katara tenses; he is a danger. "How fiercely are they looking for you?"

"I have a bounty for ten thousand gold pieces, dead or alive."

Her hands clench into fists; her knuckles turn white. "Why are you here?"

"I was shipwrecked north of your tribe."

That would explain his lack of preparation for a southern winter. "Do your bounty hunters know you are here?"

"They believe I am still on Whale Tail Island. It will be only a matter of time before they venture south."

"You will have to l-"

"Have you ever heard of the Prince of the Fire Nation, Katara?"

"I believe I have not." Katara doesn't usually concern herself with other nation's royalty. But she has heard the basics that get passed around by the warriors when they come back home. The Prince is no longer allowed in the Fire Nation. There have been speculations of what he did, but the warriors only pass around rumors.

"Then you are in no danger."

Her next question is cut off by the sound of boots crunching on snow outside of the hut. She closes her mouth, and Zuko fumbles for the pile of furs to lay down on.

Her grandmother comes into the healing hut with her brother following behind; this time his boomerang is out.

"I think it is time to talk to your stranger," says Sokka.

"He just woke up but hasn't said anything of use yet. But he tells me his head and eyes still hurt so go easy on your questioning."

Zuko can hear Katara's voice somewhere off to his left, he assumes the newcomers are to his right.

One of the voices sounds like a teenage male.

"Can you get him to sit up and face us, Katara?" the male voice tells her.

Zuko hates when people help him, but he allows it this once when he feels Katara's cool hands on his bare chest, easing him into a sitting position. He has felt a strange attraction to this woman ever since she grabbed his hands before falling into the ravine.

Now it is time to lie.

"What is your name, and where are you from stranger?"

"My name is Lee; I travel from the Earth Kingdom."

"Why are you in the Southern Water Tribe?"

"I was shipwrecked in a bad storm off your coast. I was trying to find shelter when Katara saved me."

Silence surrounds him; Zuko isn't sure what is going on around him. It takes all his effort not to open his eyes.

Katara's voice breaks the silence. "I should go get him food."

"I think we should all go and deliberate this outside with our tribe," says a more mature female voice. He remembers and old woman who was helping Katara.

He can feel Katara's presence leave the room, and he waits a couple of minutes until he is sure the room is empty.

Risking his safety, he gradually opens his eyes, and sighs when he finds the room is indeed empty. Zuko finds the cup Katara had put on the ground for him, and drinks all the water left in it.

With one more glance around the hut he notices his swords are missing. Irritation sets in, he hopes he will get them back soon. It is the only thing from home he has left.

She comes back thirty minutes later, a good ten after Zuko decided it was best to keep his eyes shut.

"Open your eyes," she whispers.

Zuko tentatively lifts his lids to find startling blue eyes looking back at him.

"You're allowed to stay, but I told them you are going to be blind. Use this bandage to cover your eyes. Then you won't have to keep them closed all the time."

"Why are you helping me?" He holds the white bandage up to his face as Katara ties it to the back of his head. His vision is shrouded in a fuzzy whiteness, but it is better than pitch black.

"For the sole reason that you are the single most interesting thing that has happened in these parts."

"Thank you," he says breathlessly, "Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course," she says with little irritation.

"I'm the Prince of the Fire Nation."

He doesn't know why he just told her this, but Zuko wishes he could see her expression in full.


	4. Rue

**Day 4 Rue: v. bitterly regret**

* * *

"You can't be serious."

"I am."

Katara's mouth hangs open, but she can't seem to muster the energy to close it. The man in front of her, this gaunt, pale man, who she had saved from death, was a prince?

"I don't believe you."

"You should because you told me not to lie to you."

She mutters a curse in her native language and gives Zuko a disapproving glare when he smirks like he knows what she had just uttered. Zuko doesn't wither under her gaze like other men do, but then she realizes he probably can't see her, or she her well enough to be affected.

"Why did you tell me this, now, when I just vouched for you?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "What difference does it make?"

It was an impulsive mistake telling her, Zuko's brain tells him. One he should've thought about before he blurted it out of his mouth with no filter.

"Wh-what difference does it make?!" He hears Katara stutter in outrage. "It makes all the difference! I thought you were a thief the bounty hunters would soon give up on, no matter the reward. But a prince? Tomorrow night I am getting you out of here."

Zuko bites his chapped lips in hesitation. Should he tell her why he is actually here? No. He would wait.

Zuko interrupts her incessant mutterings of how she would sneak him out. "Where are my swords?"

"Your swords? You're asking about your swords when you just dumped on me that you were the Prince of the freaking Fire Nation? We should be preparing for an attack, but I. can't. tell. them. Because I don't want to see you harmed." She pokes his chest hard. "And all you care about is your stupid swords."

"I need my swords. There is something important in the sheath."

"Find them yourself!" she whispers menacingly.

"I can't." He points to the bandage covering his eyes. "I'm supposed to be blind, remember?"

Katara huffs and starts to search the hut, hoping Sokka didn't take the swords for himself. When she overturns every piece of fur and digs through the storage chests, her search turns up empty.

"I'll be back," she growls at him.

The sun is bright and high up in the cloudless sky. Her tribe is busy at work getting ready for the coming spring, when the injured warriors return. Katara marches up to the family tent, and opens the flap with as much anger as she can muster.

"Sokka, where did you put them?!"

Sokka of course, who had been marveling Zuko's broadswords, looks up with an innocent smile. "Put what?"

With no time for his games, she places her hands on her hips and snarls at him. "Give me his swords!"

"What does a blind man need his swords for anyways?"

"They're his, Sokka, and he wants them."

Zuko twiddles his thumbs while he waits for Katara to come back with them. He feels ridiculous, but not being able to see allows him to think and ponder on those thoughts.

His father would rue the day he banished him; Zuko will find this faction of the resistance, and he will topple his father from his usurped throne that rightfully belongs to his dead cousin Lu Ten, and his old uncle.

The reason he is in the south is because of the resistance, the last spark of rebellion against his father. A White Lotus spy had tipped him off that there is a faction in the southern parts. So far he doesn't think the Southern Water Tribe houses this faction, but there is no farther south to venture. And Zuko is only looking for one person in the faction, one person to help him complete his mission.

Zuko must find the resistance before Katara forces him to leave. He believes the token in his sword sheath will speed that along.

"Now what's in the sheath, hopefully Sokka didn't find it," Katara says as she reenters the hut, breaking Zuko out of his thoughts.

"There is a latch at the bottom; it opens a tiny compartment." He waits a heartbeat. "Did you f-"

"Yes, I have it. Wait, this is just a Pai Sho piece."

Zuko's heart sinks; he was hoping she would recognize it. But he hears her shuck in a breath as she flips the tile over.

Katara's heart rate picks up. No, no, no,no. What is he doing with this? What does this mean? She fingers the wooden tile; she rubs the painted picture of a white lotus. Zuko is here for a specific purpose.

"I need to get Gran Gran," she whispers to herself but still hopes Zuko can hear her.

It is when Katara sees her grandmother's panicked expression that she knows this is the real thing.

Katara is tasked with grabbing Zuko, or Lee, from the hut. Her arms laces through his as they put up the semblance of his blindness.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she whispers to him as they cross her tribe.

"I've only been here for a night and part of the day. And for part of that I was unconscious."

"Things would have been so much easier."

* * *

"Lee, I would appreciate it if you would tell us the truth," her grandmother says once Zuko is brought from the healing hut.

Katara bites her lips and turns her head because she told him to lie.

"My name is Lee," Katara turns her head sharply in his direction, and hopes no one notices. He is still lying.

"But I came to find the fraction of the resistance and its leader. I was sent by Grand Master Iroh." He bows formally to her, Sokka, and her grandmother, but does it hesitantly as he tries to find them through his shrouded eyes.

At least he is a good actor.

Katara lets surprise wash over her face. He knows the Grand Master, but then she remembers that she is the only one here who knows the Grand Master is his uncle.

Sokka goes and claps Zuko on the back, who almost chokes on air as he didn't see it coming. "I knew there was something good about you."

Katara giggles. "Sokka you were the one most adamant of throwing him back into the snow storm."

"Thanks," Zuko deadpans, turning to find Sokka.

"Why did you come to the South when there are pockets of resistance all over the world?" Katara asks, trying to get the two back on track.

"I heard there was a master waterbender down here, and I was wondering if she would want to go on a mission with me. But it seems I have already found her." Zuko turns and looks directly at her. "Does she accept?"

Without hearing the extent of the mission, or turning to look at her family, she answers.

"She accepts."

* * *

 **AN: I honestly have no idea where I am going with this story. It was not what I intended from the beginning, but hopefully it will still turn out good.**

 **Does anyone have any thoughts of where they want this story to go; I have a vague idea.**

 **Thanks to all who have reviewed/followed/favorited so far:)**

 **Happy Zutara Week everyone!**

 **Ps. I will update Falling to Pieces sometime tomorrow.**


	5. Voyage

**Day 5 Voyage: n. a long journey involving travel by sea or space**

 **Note: I changed their ages in the first chapter, Katara is 18 and Zuko is 19.**

* * *

Katara's hands grip the railing of the boat they travel on. Their brief stop on Whale Tail island was not without adventure. But both of them believe they have escaped his bounty hunters, giving Katara time to breath as they continue their voyage to the Fire Nation.

"Do you regret coming with me?" Zuko comes up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and pulling her close to him.

She wonders as she leans her head against his chest when they got this close. Katara believes it was when they had to have a fake makeout session in an ally to get away from his chasers. Blood rushes to her cheeks at the thought of the memory. His lips were so warm, and his hair was so soft.

"Katara?"

"Hmm," she says still in her daydream.

"Do you regret it?"

Katara purses her lips wondering how to answer. Is he talking about their 'kiss', or just their journey entirely?

"Of course not," a safe answer for both questions.

"And what of the," he clears his throat, "the event in the alley."

Katara turns to face him with a coy smile. His hair is a mess and falls into his eyes but it does to break up his smirk. "I think you will have to remind me."

"Will a demonstration do?" He raises an eyebrow at her.

Not waiting for her answer, Zuko lifts her chin, and presses his lips down on hers. She responds with a smile against his lips and lets herself melt into him.

 **OOO**

"Why do you want me? " Katara asks the night after she had accepted the mission

Zuko finishes packing up his sack before he answers. "Because I heard great things about a southern waterbender who helps the resistance." Then he puts on a cheeky smile. "I wanted to see for myself if you were as stubborn as the rumors."

"And do I live up to these rumors."

"They weren't exaggerating."

Katara places a hand on his arm, stopping him from closing the bag. "You still haven't given me a detailed idea of what I am doing with you."

"I told you; we're going to the Fire Nation to take care of some business, and since we have to sneak you out, we should go quickly."

"Zuko," she says in a harsh whisper, "what are we doing?"

His hands stop fiddling with the bag, and he turns his body show he is fully facing her. His golden stare hovers around her face, not quite looking in her eyes.

"I want help to assassinate the Fire Lord."

Katara chokes on air. "You're joking."

"Katara, I know you have only known me for a day, but do I look like a practical joker."

"How will this solve anything?" Katara says while folding her hands across her chest.

"Because it will get a power hungry man off of the throne, and a better Fire Lord will step up and take charge."

"Would that be you?"

His eyes go wide at her suggestion. "Agni no, I think my uncle will take the throne."

"You think!? Zuko, when we are out of this tribe you are answering every one of my questions."

"So you're still going with me?"

"Do you even have to ask that?" Katara grabs the bag out of Zuko's hands and makes her way out of the tent to where they secretly hid a canoe.

 **OOO**

Zuko lays in his cabin. The bed is hard, and he can feel the sway of the boat. A couple more days and they will reach Fire Nation waters. And then what? He will finally confront his father.

How? He hasn't quite decided how that will play out. Half of him wants to storm into his father's throne room and challenge him to an Agni Kai, and the other half knows it will only end in his death, that's why he needs the element of surprise. It is the reason Zuko had to find the waterbender.

It were the whispers in his ears of a waterbender from the south who could control blood. It was the element of surprise he was looking for. Of course Zuko will have to ask Katara about that later.

For now he is content where he is. Zuko sighs and turns over, burying his face into Katara's neck and hair.

He hears her sighs of contentment as he delicately kisses her caramel skin. Zuko was drawn to her the moment he had first heard her song in that snowy blizzard.

She's beautiful and deadly, a perfect combination. Zuko admires his waterbender before he himself drifts off into a dreamless sleep.

 **OOO**

Zuko paddles the canoe as silently as he can. Every little splash of the waves and every time Zuko accidentally hits the paddle on the side of the wooden cano makes Katara jump and turn around.

But the only thing she can see behind her is darkness and the stars.

"Will you stop turning around?"

"Sorry." She directs her gaze to Zuko's impassive face.

"I assume you have many questions for me?"

She smiles at him; he knows her to well. "No more lies, and no more half truths."

"Agreed."

Katara thinks for a moment wondering what question she wants to ask first. Will there be any that will make her want to turn around and go back to the tribe?

"When I was healing you, there were lashes all over your back; where did you get them?"

"I was careless, and I got caught in a Fire Nation colony in the Earth Kingdom. My punishment was fifty lashes; I was able to escape right after. Am I able to ask you questions?"

Katara shrugs, realizing it would only be fair. To each other, they are both strangers. "If you have any."

"Do you sing?"

"Have you finally figured it out?" A smile plays at her lips.

"You are my mysterious Siren." He chuckles quietly to himself as if he remembered something funny.

"What?"

"You saved me, but you also caused me to stumble into the ravine."

"Really?" and Katara can't help but laugh. "You were out of it though, but maybe I should try to sing the Fire Lord into falling off a cliff."

Zuko's smile falls from his face in sudden remembrance. "Yeah, that would be nice."

Katara tentatively places a bare hand on his knee. "Are you okay? I'm not even going to pretend to understand what it will be like to kill one's father."

Zuko stops rowing, and places the paddles into the boat. The canoe still moves as Katara gently pushes it along with her waterbending. He takes her hand in his, kissing her knuckles. He doesn't miss the color change in Katara's cheeks.

"I'll be fine; you can keep me on my toes, my Siren."

Katara doesn't retract her hand, and she fiddles with his warm fingers. He must be a firebender.

"I still don't understand how you and I can defeat the most powerful firebender in this era. You really should have talked to the Avatar about this. Why isn't he helping?"

A grimace appears on Zuko's face, and the hold on her hand tightens. "I tried," there is disdain laced throughout his words, "but the Avatar doesn't believe in killing my father. He wants to find a different solution; there is no other solution."

Katara narrows her eyes as she starts to fit the pieces together. "I have one more question for tonight, does anyone know what you are going to do, and by that I mean in the White Lotus?"

He gives her a sheepish smile and lowers his golden eyes. "Not… exactly."

 **OOO**

Katara wakes up to Zuko spooning her. She flips herself over to look at the face of the sleeping Fire Prince.

Her fingers light dance along his cheek and into his hair. His scar in hidden by the pillow, and Katara frowns because she loves tracing it with her fingers.

Looking at his peaceful face, Katara wonders what she has gotten herself into. She leans forwards to place a kiss on the sleeping Prince's lips before the rocking of the ship lulls her back to sleep.


	6. Integrity

**Day 6 Integrity: n. the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles**

* * *

Zuko flips the hood up on his cloak, hiding his face from view. His broadswords are strapped to his side, also hidden by his cloak.

Katara finishes winding her hair into a bun at the nape of her neck. She adjusts her red top, hoping, even though the color of her skin and eyes can't be hidden, that she still looks like she belongs in the Fire Nation, or even just the colonies.

She looks up to find Zuko slining their sack across his back. Katara searches for his golden eyes underneath his hood, only to find them staring back at her.

"Are you ready?" He places a hand on her shoulder when he sees the worriness spread throughout her eyes. "We're not going to do it today; so you can relax."

She nods, but it is not until Zuko's lips press against her forehead that her body relaxes. Katara lifts her head up, letting out a giggle when his lips mover from her forehead to her nose and then to her waiting lips.

They make it to the port market with no incidents. Zuko assures her that no one has followed them, and she lets herself lean against Zuko as they walk through the market.

Stalls line every wall. The market bustles with early shoppers even though many stalls are just setting up for a day of profit.

The farther they walk the more crowded it becomes. Katara latches her hand onto Zuko's, pressing herself up against him so she doesn't bump into anyone on there way to work or a shopping trick.

Katara can't help when her eyes dart to every stale and every passerbyer. She has never been out of the South and her curiosity is peaked when she sees a concept only told to her through stories.

Her nose stops them in their tracks. Her stomach rumbles as her eyes linger on freshly baked cinnamon rolls. The glaze looks enticing from this distance, and Katara can't help but let go of Zuko's hand and venture over.

She hears his deep chuckle as he follows, ready with money enough for two.

Her nose follows the raising steam from the fresh baked rose, and she closes her eyes, processing the scent of cinnamon on her tongue. Through her musings, Katara hears the clinking of money and soon the scent is closer to her nose than before.

Zuko holds out a roll to her; the gooey inside already leaking onto his hand.

"Thanks," she says in a breathy whisper.

Before he can answer, she moves away from the stale and takes a bite. The inside flakes to pieces inside her mouth, and she moans as she licks her fingers cleaned.

"If I knew this was all it took for you to moan like that, we could have saved a lot of time a night ago." He slyly looks at out of the corner of his left eyes as he takes a bit out of his own roll.

"Shut up," she says with a mouthful of food.

He laughs at her expression, and she notices there is a bit of glaze stuck to the corners of his mouth. She walks up to him with wide eyes, and drags her thumb across both corners of his mouth. Licking her thumb clean, she chuckles at his astonished expression slowly turning into a coy smile.

"You have something on your nose."

"What? I don't ha-" Zuko bops her in the nose with his finger, and she can feel the hot substance on the tip of her nose.

With her roll already gone, she places her hands on her hips and stares him down, daring him to make another move. He comes closer to her so his forehead touches her despite the height difference. His tongue darts out after a sudden heart beat licking the glaze off of her nose.

Katara's cheeks flush with heat, and she can't help but stare at Zuko until her heart melts. But their moment is soon interrupted by a jerking movement on Zuko's cape startling them both.

"Mister do you have change to spare?"

Katara glances down to find a small, adorable girl tugging at Zuko's cloak. She kneels down to be at the girl's eye level, putting on a sweet smile so she doesn't scare the child away.

Though her time in the Fire Nation can be rounded to less than two hours, she has noticed that many citizens come with black hair and dark eyes. The child in front of her, though her hair is plaited into two black pigtails, has startling emerald eyes.

Katara doesn't want to think about how this occurred, whether out of love or forcefulness.

Zuko squats down next to them. "Where are your parents little one?"

The girl with the emerald eyes points behind her and blue and gold eyes follow where the child's finger points.

There is a woman huddled in rags finding shelter in a near by doorway, and in the bundle of rags Katara notices a a chubby face poking out. Before Katara can even ask Zuko for some money, she hears the clinking of silver pieces making their way into the palm of the girl's hand.

There is a small smile on Zuko's face as the girl kisses him on the cheek, yelling a thanks as she trots back to her mother, who bows to them as she takes her child by the hand.

Katara can't help but stare at Zuko.

Even if he is going to become a murderer in a few short days with the help of her, she can't help but admire the integrity of the man in front of her, the man who she assumes is going to be the new Fire Lord despite his accusations.

"You're going to be a great ruler one day."

"What?"

"What you did for that little girl without hesitation; it shows the integrity of a great man."

"If you say so," he says unconvinced,"We should find an inn to stay for the night."

Katara glances up at the darkening sky and realizes it will rain soon. "I guess you're right."

The first drops of the incoming storm splash on their skin before they find an inn. The downpour is quick and sudden, causing Zuko to push Katara into a nearby doorway before they can get soaked.

"How long do you think this will last?"

"I'm a waterbender not a weather seer," Katara says while pushing herself further into the doorway, almost crushing Zuko against the wood.

"Would you look at that. It's an inn." Zuko opens the door he was pressed against. "Now lets hope it is not full."

 **OOO**

"If we go through with it this way, it will just look like family battling family."

"Hmm," Zuko studies the map of the capital in front of him. "We'll need the faction of the resistance in the Fire Nation. Luckily, I have very good connections with its leader."

"I wouldn't be surprised."

"I'll send a hawk to her tomorrow."

Katara stares blankly at him until he looks up at her, his golden eyes reflecting the candles.

"What?"

"The point of a blank stare is to clue you in on how I would like to know about this rebel leader. My dad never made connections with the current leader of the Fire Nation resistance."

"She's blind; she's an earthbender, and her name is Toph."

She purses her lips as she filters through the information, and then a grin breaks out on her face. "I'm glad Toph finally became a leader."

Zuko blinks. "You know her?"

"I have connections too; I just didn't realize she moved to the Fire Nation."

"Well that's good, but I think this is good for tonight." and he is kissing Katara before she has time to say anything.

With Katara's legs hooked around his waist, they fumble for the bed, landing on the mattress with an oof. Zuko peppers her skin with light kisses before making his way back up to her lips. Katara's brown curls come cascading down her shoulders as Zuko fumbles with her knotting.

Zuko's lips lift off of hers in sudden remembrance. He moans as she runs her hands through his hair, but he tilts his head so he can see her eyes.

"Katara," he says calmly, but his breaths are short and ragged, "I have to ask you something."

"What?" she mutters against his skin.

"Are you a bloodbender?"

Katara's eyes widen, pulling away from him, and she starts to stutter before forming a complete thought. "H-how did you know?" It is her deepest, darkest secret.


	7. Maelstrom

**Day 7: Maelstrom: n. a situation or state of confused movement or violent turmoil**

* * *

"Toph this is Katara. But I think you already know each other," Zuko says while moving out of the way so Katara could get a glimpse at the blind earthbender.

"Long time no see Sugar Queen." With a grin plastered on her face, Toph laughs at her own joke and punches Katara in the arm.

Rubbing her arm with a grimace, she goes to hug Toph. Though they've just exchanged Messenger Hawks over the past few years, and only when Toph could get someone to help her, the two have met in the South when Toph had first run away. It always seems like the lost find their way to the Southern Water Tribe.

Zuko smiles slightly at the sight of his two favorite people hugging; planning always goes smoothly when both parties can tolerate each other.

Zuko speaks, breaking up the reunion. "So Toph what do you think of the plan?"

"I don't know about this plan Sparky. There is a reason why we never stormed his palace before."

"I know this is asking a lot of you, but I implore you to think about. My father needs to step down from the throne one way or another." Zuko drags a hand through his hair.

"Hey, I never said I wasn't going through with it. Personally, I think it is about time. I'm just saying it's risky."

Zuko looks around Toph's camp. "For this to work, we'll need skill more than brone."

"Don't worry about that," Toph says, punching a fist into her open palm. "These are some of the best firebenders and earthbenders in the capital."

"Good." Zuko nods, pleased with the result. "Should we go over the plan again?"

Both girls nod as an answer to his question.

 **OOO**

"H-how did you know?" she asks for a second time after she pushed Zuko off of her to get her mind settled.

His hands are rubbing circles on her back, trying to calm her down. His hands are warm, and she leans into them just a bit, enough to tell him she is still here, calm, not panicking.

"A spy told me," he says, his voice soft and soothing.

"I- I never wanted to learn to be a- a bloodbender, but my dad came back with an old southern bender named Hama who was captured by the Fire Nation and then escaped. She taught me all I know about bending. In away I'm grateful she came, because then I would never have found a master."

"Is she the one who taught you the technique?" Though the answer is obvious Zuko still asks the question. His mouth is close to her ear as he moves to hug her instead. She sits back on his lap, trying to relax, trying to understand that Zuko won't judge her.

"It was her last gift she taught me before she passed into the spirit world. I've only used it for severe wounds that required more than just my healing. I'm afraid to ask why you want to know."

"It's not important, not anymore."

"Tell me," she says earnestly.

"I just thought it would be a nice surprise to have when we fight the Fire Lord."

He closes his eyes, resting his chin on her shoulder as he waits for her response.

But she doesn't give him one, and Zuko doesn't push her for it. They end up fast asleep intertwined with each other.

 **OOO**

It took them an hour to reach the doors of his father's throne room. An impressive feat in itself as most rebellions were squashed before reaching the front entrance of the palace.

But it helps when you have multiple earthbenders on your side to help move you under the palace instead of through.

Many of the rebel's stayed in the courtyard to fend off any incoming reinforcements. The next set of rebel's were placed in the corridors to keep the palace guards and soldiers from interfering with the objective.

With a quick fire blast from his fists, Zuko disposes of the two guards near the doors.

He turns back to find Katara freezing two more to a pillar and knocking them out cold. He nods to her telling her it is time.

"Toph," Katara yells over the earthbending, "do you think you can hold them off here?"

"It would be my pleasure," the blind bender says with a smirk.

"Do it."

And Zuko goes through with his plan of kicking the doors open and marching into his father's throne room.

 **OOO**

"Has Toph responded yet?"

"Katara, I sent the message to her two hours ago, who knows if it has even reached her yet."

"Sorry, I'm just nervous. I've never done anything like this before, and I'm excited as well to get the world back on track."

Zuko gives her a quick small, and Katara almost misses the pain he is masking behind it. He comes up behind her wrapping his arms around her like he did on the boat. "When this is all over, I'm taking you to Ember Island."

"Are you asking me out on a date, Prince Zuko?"

"I think we are a little late for that, but yes."

"Then I accept." Katara lets them stand in comfortable silence watching the clouds part from the sun before she asks her next question.

"Zuko, are you going to be all right?"

"I'll be fine. I've been planning this in my mind since I was thirteen years old."

Katara maneuvers out of his embrace to look at him better. He's been planning his father's death for six years. "Zuko..."

"Why should I care about a father who didn't care enough about me? Why should I care about a father who was never there for me?" He turns to face her with piercing golden stare, and raises his voice. "Why should I care about a father who scarred me out of malice and banished me soon after?"

Out of habit, her fingers find his scar. "You never told me."

"I never wanted your pity."

"I'm not going to give you pity Zuko, but I will do whatever it takes to bring him down."

"Whatever it takes?"

"Fire Lord Ozai won't know what hit him."

 **OOO**

The Throne Room is in flames. The golden throne they had found Ozai sitting in is gone, replaced with kindle.

They attack from both sides, fire and water working together. But Ozai is still better, and Katara is starting to tier, and she can see the slight wobble in Zuko's punches and kicks.

Distracted by the roaring fire, Ozai kicks her into the wall. Her head bangs against the golden ornate decorations, and the body falls limply to the floor.

Zuko doesn't have the energy to cry out as he keep paring his father's blows. Zuko is always on the defense.

The day is fading into night know but the moon raising seems to be hurting Zuko more than it should. He just hopes it will give Katara the power she needs. If she ever wakes up.

Zuko misses a block and he too is sent crashing into a wall. His head throbs, and he thinks it isn't fair how throughout the battle the Fire Lord crown never feel from Ozai's head. Zuko thinks it is a sign telling him they will not win here today.

"It's time I rid this world of my useless son." With two fingers pressed together, Ozai moves his arms in a particular pattern, and the air becomes charged with electricity.

Lightning shoots from his fingertips in the direction of Zuko who dodges out of the way before it strikes him. His last ounce of energy is gone, and stays kneeling on the floor knowing what will come.

Ozai tries again, but before electricity can come out of his fingers, his hand stops in mid motion. He turns to face the waterbender whose hands are out in front of her, moving like a puppet master.

She wobbles slowly over to Ozai who fights her hold, but the moon is giving her so much power. Katara can feel it coursing through her veins.

With a flick of her hands, she has Ozai suspended in the air.

"I know what you did to your own son, you sick, cruel man. You will never hurt him again," Katara's voice is deathly quiet.

Zuko's father's eyes become wide with unbearable pain, in his head, in his chest, in his heart. Ozai is still raised above Katara and his hands claw at his neck trying to get rid of the invisible pressure. Blood collects in his mouth and starts to pool out onto his chin.

With the sound of the battle subsiding, and not sounding like the maelstrom it had been, Toph comes rushing in with palace guards coming up behind her.

Everything is deathly quiet; no one makes a move, and all eyes are trained on the waterbender. More guards itch for their swords but they are soon silenced by the blind earthbender.

The only sound to be heard is the gurgling coming from the Fire Lord as he tries to breath.

Katara claps her hands together, and as the sound echos through the Throne Room, his father collapses to the floor and so does she.

"Katara!" Zuko's screams soon follow.

His boots clip across the floor to where her body lays. His path is blocked by a punch of fire from a confused guard and Zuko responds by kicking him in the chest, causing the guard to slide across the floor and into a pillar.

Tears stream down his face as he cradles her body against his. "It will be okay," he whispers, stroking her hair.

And he feels a sense of calmness uttering these words as he feels her quiet but steady heartbeats under his fingertips.

Zuko leans down, kissing her lips. She stirs in his arms but does not wake.

 **OOO**

"Uncle you came!"

Only a few hours after what happened, and word has gotten around to the White Lotus. Zuko jumps up from the chair he was sitting in.

"Of course I did. Once I heard my brother had died, I had to figure out what happened. It seems my suspicions were right."

"Uncle, I'm sorry I went against your word but I had to; I had to end this."

His uncle grabs him for a hug which Zuko greatly returns. "The Avatar is not happy with you."

"I guessed that."

"But you have done a world a great favor."

"You know, it wasn't me who ended up doing it." The only thing on Zuko's mind is Katara lying in the bed surrounded by healers.

"I hope she wakes up soon."

"I hope so too," he says with tears in his eyes. "Uncle, the sages want to make me Fire Lord, but I thought you would take the position."

His uncle pulls out of the hug and stares directly into Zuko's eyes.

"The throne needs a young man that can give it many years of his life, not an old man. The Fire Nation needs someone with young and new ideals. Someone who is not afraid of breaking barriers between nations."

"But-"

"No Zuko. It has to be you. It will be a hard journey, but it has to be you."

 **OOO**

When Katara does wake, she finds herself covered in silk sheets, and sees candles lighting up the room. As she rolls over, she finds the bed is spacious and not empty.

A pair of familiar golden eyes stare back at her.

"Good morning."

"Di- did we win?"

He gives her smile, and leans over to give her a gentle kiss on the lips. "We won, my little Siren."

"I killed him didn't I?"

Zuko scoops her up into his arms and onto his lap. "I'm sorry Katara. I thought I was going to be the one who killed him; I never wanted you to have to bare this burden."

"It's okay." Her voice cracks. "He deserved to die." She thinks of a moment. "What day is it?"

"The next, you've been out for many hours. I'm going to be Fire Lord, Katara. I'm scared." he whispers it into her ears as if he doesn't want the walls to know.

"Don't be. You'll have me by your side."

"So you're still sticking with me?"

"Do you even have to ask?" she says with her blue eyes shining bright and with a smile on her face.

* * *

 **Thanks for all of the reviews:)**

 **I hope you all liked this story and this chapter. I can't believe Zutara Week is already over, but I have seen some great fanfics and fanart that has come out of this event. I can't wait for next year.**

 **At least now I can focus on my other story and summer work.**


	8. AN

**Hi everyone, so I was reading over some of my old work and came across this again. I decided that I am going to edit this story and try to make it (hopefully) longer because I do not have to worry about sticking to the prompts anymore. The old version of the story will still stay up here (for now, it may go away in the future) but the first chapter of the new version is posted under the name Blue Eyes and a Lullaby**

 **I hope you all come to check it out:)**


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